Liquid drug transfer devices having an integral vial adapter for use with a discrete injection vial containing a medicament are available for home use, outpatient clinic use, hospital use, and the like. Exemplary liquid drug transfer devices having an integral vial adapter include inter alia a female vial adapter having a female Luer connector for use with a needleless syringe, a male vial adapter having a male Luer connector, a liquid drug transfer device having an integral administration device and a syringe port for attaching a needleless syringe thereto, a liquid drug transfer device for mixing contents of two injection vials to form a liquid drug for aspiration through a syringe port to a needleless syringe, and the like.
Discrete injection vials include a closed end vial tube typically containing an expensive medicament, a tubular vial crown having a crown opening and a vial neck intermediate the vial tube and the vial crown. Discrete injection vials include an injection vial stopper for hermetically sealing a crown opening and a band for capping the vial crown. Discrete injection vials typically include a flip-off tamper evidence cap intended to be irreplaceably removed immediately before use to expose an uppermost injection vial surface which is sterilized before accessing an injection vial.
Vial adapters have a generally inverted cup shape including an uppermost transverse vial adapter wall and a downward depending vial crown sleeve for bounding a vial crown cavity for receiving a vial crown on telescopic mounting a vial adapter on a discrete injection vial. The uppermost transverse vial adapter wall has a downward depending puncturing cannula with a proximal puncturing cannula opening and a distal puncturing cannula tip for concurrently puncturing an injection vial stopper on telescopic mounting a vial adapter on a discrete injection vial. A vial crown sleeve can optionally have one or more radial inward vial crown holding protrusions for snap fitting under a vial crown on telescopic snap fitting a vial adapter on a discrete injection vial for a more secure mounting.
Telescopic mounting a vial adapter on a discrete injection vial typically takes place adjacent a patient ready for immediate administration of its medicament. Telescopic mounting is considered a relatively problematic task for several reasons: First, healthcare providers having gloved hands have to be dexterous to handle a vial adapter and a discrete injection vial. Second, healthcare providers have to apply a relatively considerable force for concurrently telescopic mounting a vial adapter on a discrete injection vial and puncturing its injection vial stopper. Third, healthcare providers are prone to incorrectly aligning a vial adapter relative to a discrete injection vial such that its distal puncturing cannula tip doesn't puncture an injection vial stopper but rather is embedded therein. And fourth, in case of some medicaments, speed of administration is of utmost importance, and concurrent telescopic mounting a vial adapter on a discrete injection vial and puncturing its injection vial stopper can take a relatively long time.
There is a need to facilitate the use of liquid drug transfer devices having an integral vial adapter with a discrete injection vial.